Dietitian Pūkenga Whakaita Kai (Ngā Tohunga Mātai Kai)

Dietitians provide advice and counselling about diet, food and nutrition to individuals and communities. They also design nutrition programmes to support health and wellbeing.

Dietitians need to be registered with the New Zealand Dietitians Board.

• New Zealand Dietitians Board website - information about dietitian registration

Nutritionists who meet specific criteria, such as having relevant work experience, may:

• register with the Nutrition Society of New Zealand
• become associate members of Dietitians New Zealand.

• Nutrition Society of New Zealand website - information on registration
• Dietitians New Zealand website - information on membership 

Dietitians may do some or all of the following:

• counsel clients about their lifestyle and eating habits
• plan special diets or provide specialised nutrition support for clients
• do research and present findings at seminars
• lecture at universities/polytechnics on the topics of diet and nutrition
• provide nutritional information to food industry organisations
• provide nutritional information to sports and fitness centres, and athletes
• market specialist nutritional products.

Subject Recommendations

To enter tertiary training you need to have NCEA Level 3. Useful subjects include biology, chemistry, maths, home economics (food and nutrition), and health education.

Related Careers

Dietitians may progress into:

• policy or advisory work in the public sector
• private practice
• pharmaceuticals
• the food industry
• food service settings such as aged-care facilities
• communications 
• management
• teaching and research.
   
• Policy analyst job information
• Public relations professional job information 
• Tertiary lecturer job information

Dietitians may specialise in one of the following roles:

Clinical Dietitian

Clinical dietitians work in an area of dietetics such as allergies, irritable bowel syndrome or paediatrics.

Food Industry Dietitian

Food industry dietitians help companies to reformulate foods, and package and market foods so that healthy foods are available for purchase.

Food Service Dietitian

Food service dietitians work in kitchens at hospitals, rest homes, boarding schools or hostels. They are often employed by large catering companies to assist with menu planning for people with different dietary needs.

Public Health Dietitian

Public health dietitians promote public health by developing and implementing community nutrition programmes, and advising on food and nutrition guidelines. They may also work with retailers and manufacturers to improve access to healthy food options.